Backers of a pair of medical marijuana initiatives previously disqualified from this fall’s ballot remain confident that their measures will go before a public vote in November.
Last week, DC Superior Court Judge Ellen Huvelle ordered the Board of Elections (BOE) to include nearly 5,000 additional signatures in support of Initiative 59, the District’s medical marijuana proposal. Initiative backers Act-Up contend that the inclusion of the signatures will be sufficient to qualify the initiative for the November ballot. BOE officials had previously “set aside” the signatures because the address stated on the circulator’s affidavit failed to match that in the Board’s voting records.
In Colorado, medical marijuana proponents Coloradans for Medical Rights (CMR) will appeal to a judge tomorrow to have their initiative immediately placed on the fall ballot. Petitioners allege that the Secretary of State’s office made frequent errors when processing a random-sample check of the more than 88,000 signatures in support of the proposal. Attorneys for CMR argue that an independent review of the Secretary of State’s sampling technique demonstrates petitioners collected an adequate number of signatures to qualify for this year’s ballot.
The Colorado initiative seeks to allow seriously ill patients who have a doctor’s recommendation to possess up to two ounces of marijuana or grow three plants for medical use. The measure also encourages patients to enroll in a state identification program, and allows individuals to raise an affirmative defense in court if they possess more marijuana than the set amounts. DC’s Initiative 59 seeks to exempt patients who use marijuana under a doctor’s supervision from criminal marijuana penalties. The measure also proposes allowing residents to “organize not-for-profit corporations for the purpose of cultivating, purchasing, and distributing marijuana exclusively for … medical use.”
For more information, please contact Keith Stroup or Paul Armentano of NORML @ (202) 483-5500.